Stiffen my FiST.... ?

Anyone using TBperformance or Pierce motorsports chasis, sway, torsion, traction bars etc?? Or the cobb, or eibach sway bars? I am not planning on tracking my car but would like to upgrade the rigidity a little bit, what would be a nice upgrade, but not overkill? Ride quality is not a huge concern (I think it rides like its on cinder blocks anyway). I want the optimal setup! Who's using what, thoughts...

PS- My next mod will be springs, most likely going Mountune. So i'm talking after that of course.

The sway bars don't do anything in terms of increasing torsional rigidity of the chassis, they only increase the spring rate around corners. Adding a rear sway bar will make the ST more tail happy, which I think the car is already tail happy enough.

Concerning the chassis stiffening braces, I am very skeptical they do anything besides make your car heavier and wallet lighter. The chassis rigidity of the Fiesta is already really outstanding. I don't see how adding some small cross section steel tubing to the front crossmember is going to increase the stiffness of the chassis. In order to get the front crossmember to flex, you need a good amount of lateral force. To get enough lateral force, you will need some very sticky tires. From the factory, the tires will slide before you can input enough force into the chassis to cause any significant flex. I would need to see some actual data to support those braces do anything before they would get my stamp of approval.

Sway bars or the chassis braces will do very little to alter ride quality. Springs, tires, dampers, and bushings will play a bigger role in ride quality.

The six point chassis bar I use lowered my 3 legged dog type Fist to a near flat hard cornering machine so.. Yes they do work and someplace i posted pics of this is someplace.. They do work and are not all that heavy at least the ones I have seen and used.. I was skeptical at first but now I am sold.. They just work even the lower two point bars. I am not talking the strut braces here but the lower chassis braces..

The sway bars don't do anything in terms of increasing torsional rigidity of the chassis, they only increase the spring rate around corners. Adding a rear sway bar will make the ST more tail happy, which I think the car is already tail happy enough.

Concerning the chassis stiffening braces, I am very skeptical they do anything besides make your car heavier and wallet lighter. The chassis rigidity of the Fiesta is already really outstanding. I don't see how adding some small cross section steel tubing to the front crossmember is going to increase the stiffness of the chassis. In order to get the front crossmember to flex, you need a good amount of lateral force. To get enough lateral force, you will need some very sticky tires. From the factory, the tires will slide before you can input enough force into the chassis to cause any significant flex. I would need to see some actual data to support those braces do anything before they would get my stamp of approval.

Sway bars or the chassis braces will do very little to alter ride quality. Springs, tires, dampers, and bushings will play a bigger role in ride quality.

The six point chassis bar I use lowered my 3 legged dog type Fist to a near flat hard cornering maching so Yes they do work and someplace i posted pics of this is someplace.. They do work and are not all that heavy at least the ones I have seen and used.. I was skeptical at first but now I am sold.. They just work even the lower two point bars. I am not talking the strut braces here but the lower chassis braces..

Did not mean to send that yet! Are you saying the 2 point lower works as well? It's much cheaper than the 6 point! Like I said I'm not planning on hitting the track. If the 2 point would suffice, that would be ideal. I am looking for a noticeable difference though. Are you using/have feedback on the rear torsion bar and trunk bar?

Yes i was one of the first with the 6 point and it does what it says if you use the two point lower front and the TB rear I have read very good results with this also it makes the car feel more stable in the corners is what I am reading and when I get my car back I am putting the TB bar in the rear also..

Did not mean to send that yet! Are you saying the 2 point lower works as well? It's much cheaper than the 6 point! Like I said I'm not planning on hitting the track. If the 2 point would suffice, that would be ideal. I am looking for a noticeable difference though. Are you using/have feedback on the rear torsion bar and trunk bar?

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LOL I do that all the time too ..
Yes the 2 point should work great for your needs and like I said I have it in the box waiting to install the TB rear torsion/stiffener as well as the trunk bar (not sure on the trunk bar but I will test it and see if it helps as I am to that point of not a lot left to add .. LOL

LOL I do that all the time too ..
Yes the 2 point should work great for your needs and like I said I have it in the box waiting to install the TB rear torsion/stiffener as well as the trunk bar (not sure on the trunk bar but I will test it and see if it helps as I am to that point of not a lot left to add .. LOL

I installed both of TB's front traction bar and his rear torsion bar insert. For me, it is night and day. I've almost always done suspension to all my cars including cup kits and KW corner balanced coil overs. With the TB bars installed, my FiST's suspension is complete. Simply try it for yourself. If you don't like it (which I doubt) you can take them off and sell them for a very small penalty. They're inexpensive enough anyway.

I have the torsion bar and was shocked at the price, ease of installation and difference it made. Really tightened the rear end. Seriously considering the traction bar but loosening the suspension bolts worries me.......was the install difficult?

The sway bars don't do anything in terms of increasing torsional rigidity of the chassis, they only increase the spring rate around corners. Adding a rear sway bar will make the ST more tail happy, which I think the car is already tail happy enough.

Concerning the chassis stiffening braces, I am very skeptical they do anything besides make your car heavier and wallet lighter. The chassis rigidity of the Fiesta is already really outstanding. I don't see how adding some small cross section steel tubing to the front crossmember is going to increase the stiffness of the chassis. In order to get the front crossmember to flex, you need a good amount of lateral force. To get enough lateral force, you will need some very sticky tires. From the factory, the tires will slide before you can input enough force into the chassis to cause any significant flex. I would need to see some actual data to support those braces do anything before they would get my stamp of approval.

Sway bars or the chassis braces will do very little to alter ride quality. Springs, tires, dampers, and bushings will play a bigger role in ride quality.

Click to expand...

I haven't tried the COBB or Eibach rear sways, but I have the prototype Hotchkis rear bar on my car (which I think is pretty mild compared to Eibach, from what I've heard anyway) and I've noticed that the car isn't really any more tail happy than it was prior to the install. If anything it feels more stable and less snappy. Not disagreeing with you, just adding my personal experience!

In case others are watching, I will say that I'm now a believer in chassis bracing on the FiST. I got a good deal from a local member on a strut tower brace from Pierce Motorsport and, since they're local, I decided to spring for the lower 4 point brace as well.

The turn in is so much improved it's shocking. I was a very big skeptic of these before, but I'm not converted and will be installing a TB designs trunk brace this week and will report back.

In case others are watching, I will say that I'm now a believer in chassis bracing on the FiST. I got a good deal from a local member on a strut tower brace from Pierce Motorsport and, since they're local, I decided to spring for the lower 4 point brace as well.

The turn in is so much improved it's shocking. I was a very big skeptic of these before, but I'm not converted and will be installing a TB designs trunk brace this week and will report back.

So what is the consensus with bracing different areas of the car? Start off with a 6 point on the front and and see where lap times go? Or do you think go with the whole enchilada with (front-mid-rear)? My car is my daily driver but I also track it quite a bit. This is my first time looking at bracing a car.

After trying my car with each individual brace on and off, here are my conclusions:

1) Most important is the lower front. The more points, the stiffer you'll make the car, but the more you impede ground clearance. I have the pierce 4 and I bang it off of shit all the time. Luckily it seems pretty sturdy. If you are doing track work, I would recommend either the 4 or the 6 point, they really change the nature of the car.

2) next most important is stiffening the rear, either with an added sway bar or a torsion bar (I have the TB torsion bar). My car really tends to push with the front brace on, and the torsion bar seems to balance it out and make the rear step out more progressively and keep the car in line.

3) The upper braces (strut tower and trunk) don't seem to make nearly as much difference- the car feels stiffer with them on, but I don't think it really translates to much performance benefit in my experience. Others probably feel differently.

Also, i shoudl mention that I am on stock dampers and mountune springs, with no sway bars besides the TB torsion bar. Putting the car on something more adjustable might let you tune these issues out a different way. For me, it seemed like the bracing and springs was a good $/performance compromise. I might go with coilovers in the future, but for now I'm happy with the way the car handles for my uses (DD/canyon running).

After trying my car with each individual brace on and off, here are my conclusions:

1) Most important is the lower front. The more points, the stiffer you'll make the car, but the more you impede ground clearance. I have the pierce 4 and I bang it off of shit all the time. Luckily it seems pretty sturdy. If you are doing track work, I would recommend either the 4 or the 6 point, they really change the nature of the car.

2) next most important is stiffening the rear, either with an added sway bar or a torsion bar (I have the TB torsion bar). My car really tends to push with the front brace on, and the torsion bar seems to balance it out and make the rear step out more progressively and keep the car in line.

3) The upper braces (strut tower and trunk) don't seem to make nearly as much difference- the car feels stiffer with them on, but I don't think it really translates to much performance benefit in my experience. Others probably feel differently.

Also, i shoudl mention that I am on stock dampers and mountune springs, with no sway bars besides the TB torsion bar. Putting the car on something more adjustable might let you tune these issues out a different way. For me, it seemed like the bracing and springs was a good $/performance compromise. I might go with coilovers in the future, but for now I'm happy with the way the car handles for my uses (DD/canyon running).

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Thanks man! Yeah I'm 100% stock right now. I was going to start adding power but I'm really enjoying track days